Interweaving the work of ethnobotanists Richard Evans Schultes and Mark J. Plotkin, studying Amazon cultures, this film explores the entire field of ethnobotany, focusing particularly on traditional medicine, shamanism and on the search for new medicinal compounds among indigenous tribes.

Synopsis and Review

An ardent and dramatic presentation, this film is inspired by Plotkin’s book of the same name. Interspersed with the work of Richard Evans Schultes and the history of ethnobotany, it tells the story of Plotkin’s time studying traditional medicine with the Tirio and Maroon communities of Suriname. Doing so, it shows the disappearance of traditional medicinal knowledge and illustrates the importance of preserving this knowledge for the future of both the local community and for Western society as a whole.

Most of Plotkin’s work centres on ethnomedicine, emphasising traditional medicine and shamanism. This may make the film’s focus seem too narrow to those aware of the diverse nature of ethnobotany and ethnoecology. But, the film does manage to touch, if only momentarily, on most contemporary issues in ethnobotany, including traditional ecological knowledge and its transmission, biopiracy, bioprospecting, and biocultural diversity. Plotkin’s pioneering Shaman’s Apprentice programme, created with the local community to counter the loss of traditional medicinal knowledge, is an excellent example of applied ethnobotany. Much as flagship species are used in wildlife conservation, Plotkin often uses “medicine hunting” to illustrate the importance of preserving cultural knowledge and landscapes. In the end though, he makes clear that his overall goal is to preserve culture for its own sake and to “help indigenous communities to have control over their own destiny”.

Prepared by Erin Smith

This film discusses the effects of globalisation on traditional culture and knowledge through the transitions seen in Ladakh over an eighteen-year period.

Synopsis and Review

Ladakh, in the Kashmiri region of India, is on the western Tibetan plateau of the Himalayas. With an altitude that averages 14,000 ft., with a high of 16,000 ft., conditions can be arduous yet the people of Ladakh have survived and flourished for centuries., With modernization, however, traditional knowledge and practices have begun to change and disappear. Based on a book of the same name by Helena Norborg-Hodge, this film examines the impact of globalisation on traditional knowledge and culture of Ladakh. Norburg spent 18 years in Ladakh and witnessed its transition as traditional agriculture was rapidly abandoned for commerce and as more people migrated from rural villages to the city.

While the sentimentality of its presentation may be distracting, the film presents a compelling case study of the impact of globalisation on indigenous cultures. Ladakh is not alone in the challenges it faces, and the film illustrates many issues central to the discussion of globalisation and biocultural diversity. The presentation is at times a bit idealized and the film would have benefited from a more balanced presentation of these issues. While the important point is clearly made that much can be learned from indigenous cultures like the Ladakh, the film makes little mention of problems, such as health and nutrition, that these communities face. Additionally, other than the voice of a Buddhist scholar, Ladakhi experiences are consistently told through heavy narration, leaving the viewer wanting more direct interaction and discussion with community members and less etic interpretation. Despite its weaknesses, this film is still, almost fifteen years later, an excellent study of cultural transition.

Prepared by Erin Smith

This short film provides a case study for participatory forest management in South Africa, looking at the case of a nature reserve on the east coast. It tells of the struggle faced by local indigenous group to regain access to natural resources found in the area, resulting in the joint management of the area.

Synopsis and Review

The Dwesa forest on the east coast of South Africa was one of the last remaining indigenous forests in the country. To protect the area it was declared a nature preserve with limited access in the 1930’s, ignoring the large indigenous population in the area dependent on its resources such as game and seafood, medicine, wild food, and building materials. It is also a spiritual place, sacred to the local community. Once it was declared a preserve the local indigenous community was restricted from using the area even though the white population was able to own cabins and hotels in the reserve. Tensions began to build between the local community and nature reserve officials, especially after the reserve was completely closed in 1974. Fuelled by the political environment of the country at the time, tensions reached a peak in the 1990’s. And in 1994 members of the local community “invaded” the reserve, hunting game and collecting resources. Eventually the community began to raise awareness of their struggles and complaints and approached the nature reserve officials to conduct negotiations regarding use of the area. Land ownership was also discussed and after lengthy discussions the government agreed to return control of the reserve to the local community if they put a management system in place. Through the creation of a community property association (CPA) and land trust, the community began to take control of the reserve and its resources. They are now allowed to use their traditional resources in a controlled and sustainable fashion monitored by the community itself.

This film, while sometimes disjointed, provides a good example of the debate surrounding conservation and indigenous rights. Through interviews with community members that have lived through and participated in the transition from government controlled preserve to community managed area, it provides a fine example of the conflict that arises from non-participatory modes of conservation and the progress that can be made when the community is consulted and involved in the management and conservation process. However, it does have gaps begging to be addressed. For example, while it discusses in depth the traditional uses of the forest and the community’s traditional ecological methods for managing the forest, there is no mention of the effects of population increase on these traditional methods or the use of the forest today. And it would have been more satisfying to receive a more detailed explanation of how the transfer back to the community took place and is managed today beyond the issuing of collection permits and local enforcement. Despite its sometime cursory nature, the film is good demonstration of participatory resource management.

Prepared by Erin Smith

This film provides a brief history of the agricultural Green Revolution and its impact on farmers, labourers and traditional farming practices in India.

Synopsis and Review

Seeds of Plenty, Seeds of Sorrow tries to tell two sides of the story of the Green Revolution, long claimed to be one of the most successful development strategies of the 20th century. Through interviews with Norman Borlaug, the Nobel Peace prize winning “father” of the Green Revolution, and with others from organizations and corporations involved in the process the film explores the view that the green revolution has saved billions from hunger. Conversely, interviews with wealthy Punjab farmers and poor farm labourers paint a different and less optimistic picture of this so-called revolution.

While the introduction of high-yielding Mexican wheat did increase production in India, particularly the Punjab region, the film demonstrates that the benefits do not outweigh the negative effects. The most destitute in the country did not see benefits, and are in many aspects worse off. With their jobs taken over by heavy agricultural machines, many were forced to travel far distances, often over 2000 km, to find work. The new imported seeds required inputs, such as regular irrigation and fertilizers, for a successful crop. As one large farmer states “If any one single thing is missing the miracle doesn’t happen. You must have everything”. To have “everything” year after year proved difficult to impossible for most farmers. The cost of inputs and equipment required for the new crops made any potential profits disappear, with left most farmers in greater debt than before. Additionally, the inputs only increase over time; an acre of land that only needed two bags of fertilizer the first year requires six a few years on. In the words of a farmer, “ the land is addicted.” With the inundation of imported seed, traditional seeds have disappeared and farmers are now dependent on foreign seed and inputs.

While it tries to give voice to both sides of the Green Revolution, the film clearly makes the point that there is more to this “revolution” than has been presented in the past. With a few exceptions from the corporate side, the film portrays most of the prominent players in the Green Revolution as truly believing that their agricultural changes were beneficial. As a result, the film becomes a commentary on misunderstanding and cultural awareness. In the end, the Green Revolution was formed with a singularity in its solution to an immensely diverse problem: poverty and hunger. All of which is even more poignant fifteen years on. We have made progress and learned lessons, but still struggle with some of the same issues we faced at the end of the last century. Though sound quality at times makes it difficult to understand all that is said, this is a film worth seeing.

Prepared by Erin Smith

Through the lives of two extended families, this film tells the story of the Garo in Northeast India. Traditional rice farmers, the Garo hold many unique and diverse varieties of rice, which are now important genetic resources. This film touches on many contemporary issues facing ethnobiology, cultural diversity and conservation work.

Synopsis and Review

The Garo have over the years kept a rich collection of rice varieties. This biological diversity is now an important genetic store for rice worldwide. The film, told exclusively through the voices of the Garo, follows two extended families in the village of Sandolpara as they grapple with survival and change as tradition meets modernity and gives an extensive look at the life and culture of this indigenous community. Traditionally subsistence farmers, the Garo have seen their lives change with the introduction of a road, along with new farming techniques and missionaries. Elders say they are poorer today, “even though we reap the same grain as the grandmothers we are poorer”. There is less fertility, fewer forests, and fewer animals. The Garo are a largely matrilineal culture with land and family passing through the women. Women are the caretakers of the rice. They select which varieties to plant and handle all processing and storage of the rice. Men help plant and manage the fields.

This excellent film manages to touch on a varied array of contemporary issues in ethnobiology today, such as gender, biocultural diversity, conservation and indigenous rights, transmission of traditional knowledge, agricultural diversity, traditional ecological knowledge, and the transition from subsistence to monetary based livelihoods. Other than a brief prologue and epilogue, which emphasises the Garo’s importance to the preservation of agricultural diversity, all the issues are shown rather than described, an approach that is both refreshing and effective. In the end, it is a film that centres on the people themselves more than just the issues facing indigenous cultures today.

Prepared by Erin Smith

This short film examines the debate surrounding the link between threatened wildlife and their use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Synopsis and Review

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for nearly 5000 years and continues to be the primary form of medicine for over 1 billion people in China; it is also gaining popularity worldwide and is now used in over 130 countries worldwide. Based on natural plant and animal products, many of the species traditionally used are now endangered. According to conservationists, traditional medicine is at least partly responsible for this destruction; consequently, many of these plants and animals are no longer traded legally. With continued and increasing demand for TCM much of the trade has now moved underground. Interpol states that wildlife poaching is now the 2nd most frequently reported crime in the world.

This short film explores issues surrounding traditional medicine and conservation, focusing primarily on the trade of tiger bone and rhino horn for medicinal purposes. While this is a good overview of the some of the issues surrounding traditional medicine and conservation, it leaves much to be explored and understood. It gives a nice summary of the history and practice of TCM but relies heavily on the opinions of those in the conservation and enforcement fields; contrasting opinions of practitioners and of those involved with TCM are only lightly touched upon. Given its limited length (originally produced for a television spot), you are left wishing the film had devoted less time to the history of TCM and more to the issues that are the focus of the report.

Prepared by Erin Smith

Documenting the production process of dried persimmons in the remote villages of Japan, from farm to store, this documentary by Ogawa Shinsuke was first filmed in 1984 but never completed. In 1999, film crews returned to one of the same villages to complete the film and to document changes in this traditional practice.

Synopsis and Review

November is a time of persimmon harvesting. In remote villages of Japan, small farmers harvest the fruit by hand and begin the production of dried persimmons using tools and methods that originated in the early 1900’s. A starkly simple film, Red Persimmons shows traditional processing of persimmons and the farmers whose livelihood depends on the fruit. Through conversations with farmers and with those who make the few instruments they use, the film shows the entire labour intensive transition from tree to package. While late director Ogawa Shinsuke did most of the filming in 1984, the current edited film and some additional scenes and interviews were filmed in 1999. Through the voice of Shinsuke and the villagers, the film stresses the loss of traditional village life, including the production of persimmons. Elders in the village worry for the future of this tradition because there are no young people taking part in the production. Though it often appears to be in need of additional editing, this is a simple and often beautifully shot film. Disappointingly, changes in knowledge and production techniques over the past fifteen years, are hardly touched on in this documentary. The segment on village life in 1999 focuses primarily on a local inventor who makes electric peelers for the persimmons. The film closes with the image of persimmon harvesting in 1999, leaving the impression that the tradition does continue, but there is no direct discussion of persimmon production fifteen years later and leaves the viewer with many questions: If the harvesting continues to this day who is taking part in it? How has it changed over the past fifteen years? Is there a younger generation involved? Are the traditional methods still used?

Prepared by Erin Smith